JUNGLE APOCALYPSE

A One-Shot KULT Adventure

For 4 to 6 players
"Man sprang out of the faulty world, Charlie. Therefore, I'm imperfect. Whats the use? Its a bad
design, the human body. Skin's not thick enough, bones arent strong enough, too little hair, no claws,
no fangs. Drop us and we break!...We should be on all fours, hairier, more resistant to heat and cold,
with tails. What happened to my tail, thats what I'd like to know...Yes sir, I'm going to live on all
fours from now on. And thats what I'm fit for -- hands and knees!"

-- Paul Theroux, _The Mosquito Coast_ 

Jungle Apocalypse is a one-night KULT adventure suitable for tournament play, or as a Dark Secret
for a military character to be used in a future KULT campaign. It was designed out of a belief that
KULT needs more short-short adventures where all the characters can die in awful ways without
bringing a long campaign to a halt. The player characters must be members of the U.S. army or at
least have a military background; however, the players can make their own characters within these
specifics. The adventure is meant to capture the spirit of Italian jungle cannibal films, Joseph Conrads
_Heart of Darkness_ (and the film adaptation, _Apocalypse Now_), and certain other books and
movies. Survival rate is expected to be close to zero. 

THE LIE
The player characters are soldiers in the U.S. army peacekeeping force in Honduras. They do not
have to be literally soldiers; special operatives, secret agents and even mercenaries are all
appropriate for the adventure. The one requirement is that the characters have a military
background which would permit them being employed by the U.S. Army. Supernatural backgrounds
are discouraged and Children of the Night are definitely unsuitable. The characters may or may not
choose to have linked backgrounds. Tell the players this and allow them to make characters within
this framework. Either by group decision or GM fiat, appoint one character as the leader of the
group, the Lance Corporal (if they do not specify, the others are probably Privates or PFCs). 

THE TRUTH
For almost a year the U.S. army has occupied Honduras, nominally overseeing the peace process
which has allowed President Marquez to come to power in a free election for the first time in twelve
years. However, although Marquez has proven to be less moral than was expected, the army has
had to keep his U.S.-friendly government in power and cover up the fact that they have backed a
corrupt loser.

They have done this by killing a number of reporters, priests, and others whose investigation
threatened to reveal Marquezs failures, as well as members of the Socialist rebels who want to come
to power. To keep this hidden from the world governments, a mass grave was established in the
Olancho Valley, a remote area with only one village, La Croix, nearby. Two soldiers, John Polski and
Erik Maywit, obeyed the orders of high-up military lictors in escorting these victims over the long
track to the Valley and there executing them. During a six-month period Maywit and Polski killed
over 100 people.
However, the psychic stink from the slaughter began to awaken forces from Inferno. An Incarnate of
Sathariel, the Tar Mother, possessed the bodies in the mass grave, motivated by their unfulfilled
hate. The mass of bodies itself began to give birth to more agents, the Blood Angels. On the latest
trip, bringing journalist Jorge Diego to be shot, the Incarnate surprised Polski and Maywit. While
they desperately fought it and were consumed, Jorge Diego escaped into the jungle where he
became lost and hides in fear. The next day the Blood Angels descended upon the only town in the
Olancho Valley and took everyone, man, woman and child, also into the pit.

Unaware of the chemical change that has happened as a result of their brutality, the U.S. command
in Honduras sends the characters to investigate the fate of Polski and Maywit, and to capture Jorge
Diego -- hoping, though they have not ordered it, that they will kill him. Also unaware of the
Incarnate, an anti-American mercenary force, Captain Albert Holt' s Black Horse Troop, also moves
upon the Olancho Valley where all killers will soon converge. 

CHARACTER CREATION
NOTABLE SKILLS
As members of a group, the investigators would be smart to coordinate their skill selection.
Suggested (but not required) skills include:

Unarmed Combat, Martial Arts (Commando Training), Dodge, Dagger/Knife/Bayonet,

Rifle/Crossbow, Handgun, Weapons Maneuvers, Auto Weapon, Throwing Weapon, Demolitions,
Heavy Weapons, Impact Weapons, Swim, Hide, Climb, Sneak, Track, Radio Communications, Code
Systems, Drive Vehicle, Motor Mechanics, Military Tactics, Scuba Diving, Seamanship, Piloting, Night
Combat, Two-Handed Combat, Survival, Interrogation. 

NEW SKILL: Track

The PER-based ability to pursue prey, in a wilderness setting in particular. If the trail is old, negative
modifiers should be applied. 

NEW SKILL: Military Tactics

This EGO-based ability covers tactical and strategic intelligence and quickness to react, as well as
some knowledge of military history. It also includes some knowledge of how to lead and discipline
soldiers and improve morale. In combat, the GM may advise characters with Military Tactics, or
allow them to predict (to some extent) the behavior of opposing forces. 

NOTABLE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

GOOD REPUTATION/INFLUENTIAL FRIENDS
If it is appropriate considering their skills and background, consider making a character with these
advantages the leader of the group. 

PACIFISM
This Advantage is not allowed. 

GIFT FOR LANGUAGES

Languages spoken in Honduras (besides English) include Spanish, Creole, and Native American
languages (Miskito, Paya, Twahka) and tribal languages (such as Zambu). The black and Native
American peoples are sometimes indistinguishable. In towns, nearly everyone knows a little English,
or

likes to believe they do. 

CODE OF HONOR/FANATICISM
This Advantage and/or Disadvantage are recommended, the object being of course to ensure that
the characters are loyal soldiers. 

BAD REPUTATION/INNOCENTLY BLAMED

Whether in summary or role-play (acting as the characters superiors), inform the leader of the group
that the character with a Bad Reputation has a lousy military record and is cowardly, insubordinate,
left-leaning, etc. (as appropriate) Keep an extra close eye for insubordination in this character, and
dont let them handle anything important themselves! 

ANIMAL ENMITY
A terrible Disadvantage in this setting. The character is plagued by bugs, mosquitoes, grubs and
vermin. Birds may dive bomb or peck at them. If they end up wounded or lost in the wilderness,
predators will attack them guided by the smell of blood. 

INTOLERANCE
Consider using the native (black or tribal) populations of Honduras as the target of prejudice. 

OATH OF REVENGE/MORTAL ENEMY

It is suggested that Albert Holt be the enemy or the target of the oath (perhaps the character was
one of the soldiers Holt left to die in Panama when he turned traitor.) 

EQUIPMENT
In the course of the adventure the characters are equipped in standard military fashion, plus some
special gear for the situation. Give the characters weapons and gear based on their skills. If no
person in the party thinks to have radio communications (and you allow this foolishness) give them
no radio. If a character has Demolitions skill, give them some plastique. As soldiers, the characters
will be likely to ask for powerful weapons; remember that they are on a basically stealthy mission
and that anti-aircraft missiles or land mines are inappropriate. 

*** PART ONE: ***

LA CIEBA
The adventure begins with the characters in the port of La Ceiba in Honduras. Honduras is a Central
American country between Nicaragua and Guatemala, and bordering on El Salvador. Its capital is
Tegucigalpa. Like its neighbours, it has a reputation for violence and political upheaval. The current
government, under President Marquez, is U.S.-supported, but rebels, believed to be supported by
the Cubans, have caused trouble with terrorist attacks of late. The characters are on leave.

La Ceiba is a medium-sized city through which constant boat traffic brings a stream of refugees,
disposable goods, and tourists. Most tourists have been scared away by the recent, much-publicized
terrorism, so the economy is bad. The beach is a stretch of dirty sand, through which shallow
streams, used by sewers by the poor residents, run to the sea. Rags, plastic can holders, and coconut
shells wash up in waves of garbage under the iron piers. The poor live in a shantytown of wooden
shacks which look like chicken huts. Further into town, businesses are run for the benefit of French,
German and American traders and travellers, and prostitutes and panhandlers are more vigorous.
Everyone who can afford to carries a gun, even in the good neighborhoods where French is spoken
instead of Creole and fireflies gather under the 19 th century lamps. To the south, west and east of
town rises palm trees and the green pampas which swiftly rises into jungle.

Dogs roam everywhere in La Ceiba, fighting over the meat of dead horses and cattle. Seagulls and
vultures pick over the remains, moving in huge cawing, shrieking masses and leaving unsanitary clots
of feathers.

The characters -- who are probably staying in hotels or boarding houses of varying levels of quality --
are awakened unexpectedly one gray morning by a sharp knock on their doors. Standing outside is a
young looking man in military whites. He tells the characters that a car will pick them up outside
their apartment and take them to the U.S. Military Consulate this afternoon at 4 p.m., and to pack all
their things. They are to return to active duty. If asked why, the man will only shrug. If they show
signs of hesitation or insubordination, however, he will add that they have been ordered to be
present by high-ranking officers, and that their presence is expected.

The characters have some time to wait for the ride, or they can go to the Consulate themselves. If
the investigators would like to use their time and Net of Contacts to gather weapons, equipment, or
services, allow them to try but remember they have less than 24 hours.

If an investigator has some sort of Net of Contacts: Military and makes a roll, they will hear that they
may be part of some sort of mission to the Olancho Valley, a forested area inland.

This part of the adventure can be extended or shortened as desired. 

Encounters in La Ceiba 
* Going to a bar, whether to drink or to meet a contact, the character meets a bartender they have
seen around before. His name is Gian Martinez, a quiet, polite man with a strawberry nose who is
good at listening to problems. His bar is a cool, dirty room smelling of rum, with old Socialist and
Communist posters up on the walls, showing sexy freedom fighting women waving red flags.

If one of the characters has Intuition, however, they briefly get a bad feeling while talking to
Martinez. Martinez is a rebel sympathizer and an informant for the Black Horse Troop. If the
characters speak to him, or are too loud in his vicinity (Martinez has a PER of 16) he will tell the
Troop whatever they tell him, and Albert Holt will be looking for the characters in the Olancho
Valley. On the other hand, if the characters become suspicious or violent, Martinez can always call
the police. 

* Prostitutes walk down the street, with long black hair and black purses. If a character acts like a
proud soldier they will ask him for drugs, making sexual propositions in return. 

* A young boy, 12 at the oldest, tries to pick a characters pocket. Make a DEX roll for the boy (DEX
10+1d10 (16)) vs. a PER roll for the character. If the characters effect is greater, they notice the theft
in progress. The boy bites if grabbed. 

* A mulatto strongman flexes his muscles for a crowd of tourists and banana harvesters, cracking
eggs delicately between his biceps and finally bending an iron bar. He solicits for money in a worn-
out baseball cap lying on the sidewalk. 

* On a billboard facing a slum with the ground made slick with sewage runoff, a laborer pastes up a
new poster: RE-ELECT PRESIDENT MARQUEZ. 
* ENHANCED AWARENESS/SCHIZOPHRENIA ONLY: The character sees a soldier forcing three men to
dig a pit. This is not uncommon, as prisoners are forced to work in Honduras. However, the soldier
seems to be a member of the U.S. army, which is unusual; he holds a shotgun pointed at the diggers,
but seems distracted. When they are up to their necks in the hole they suddenly begin spinning
around, as if in a blender; and, without making any effort to save themselves, blood suddenly
splashes up from the pit as they sink out of sight. The soldier drops a few shovelfuls of sand into the
pit, but before the characters can intervene, he leaves and all that remains is a shallow, empty pit,
more like a large pothole. If the investigators dig they will find several brass stars, as are found on
the uniforms of the American military.

The scene requires a Terror Throw for schizophrenics. 

THE U.S. MILITARY CONSULATE

At 4 p.m., as promised, a jeep appears with two soldiers (one armed) to take the characters to their
mission. It drives them up to the U.S. Military Consulate on the opposite side of town, along with
their luggage. If the characters do not have linked backgrounds, this is the first time that they meet.

An old French building with white pillars, the interior of the Consulate has already degraded into an
institutional building with square corners, rusty metal furniture and the small of lead-based paint. As
soon as the characters enter, they find themselves criticized if they have loosened in discipline at all
during their time in La Ceiba (entering out of uniform, unshaven, etc.). The characters are taken to a
briefing room in the back where Commander Beauregard of the Army Special Forces speaks to the
leader of the group, then to all of them together, and then to the leader again to make sure that
everything is clear. 

THE MISSION
The characters are taken to a dark room where black and white images are projected onto a screen,
and told the following. Roleplay out the briefing and emphasize the seriousness of the situation and
the characters responsibility.

"Four days ago, two U.S. soldiers -- John Polski and Erik Maywit -- were lost while escorting a
prisoner out of the Olancho Valley, an area deep in the Honduran jungle. (A map of the Valley is
provided). We have lost all contact with them. They are now AWOL, and believed to be in danger.
(Photographs of Polski and Maywit are provided.) "The prisoner was Jorge Diego, a journalist
suspected of terrorist activities and believed to be very physically dangerous. Diego was believed to
be implicated in a bombing a week ago at Tegucigalpa airport. (A photograph of Diego is provided.)
The anti-government mercenary group, Captain Albert Holt's Black Horse Troop, has recently been
active in the area; however, we do not have reports of it being in the Olancho Valley.

"Your mission is to go into the Valley. You are to find Polski and Maywit and if possible return them
safely to civilization. If you encounter Diego, treat him with extreme caution. Lastly, this mission is
top secret. Do not discuss it with nonmilitary personnel. Do you understand?"

In two hours, the investigators mission will begin. The characters are told that La Croix, a town in the
Olancho Valley, is said to harbor anti-government elements. However, they can stay there if they
feel it is necessary. They are also told that an abandoned army bunker exists in the Gowdy Mountain
Range in the southwest part of the valley. The group is then taken to another room and provided
with the following equipment: 
* one radio kit

* one waterproof map of the Olancho Valley area

* one tent per two characters, with tent stakes, rope etc.

* one portable cooking and water purification kit

* one complete medical kit with painkillers, sedatives and antibiotics

* one handheld distance meter

* two field flashlights (usable as lanterns)

* one pair of handcuffs

* two medical sleds for use transporting bodies or the wounded 

In addition, each character receives:

* one pair of light-amplifying binoculars

* one passive camouflage suit (green and olive)

* five days B rations

* one survival kit with knife, bandages, morphine, fishing gear, compass

* one helmet (covers head; 10 points of armor)

* one field walkie-talkie (connecting only to the other characters)

* one M16A1 5.56mm automatic rifle with bayonet

Rifle (scr 1-4, lw 5-9, sw 10-14, fw 15+) Range: 50 m Load: 2

Bayonet (scr 1-8, lw 9-12, sw 13-18, fw 19+)

* one box (20 clips, 8 rounds each) of ammunition 

If they request, they may be provided with:

* bulletproof vests (covers chest and abdomen; 8 points of armor)

* handguns, some type of Magnum revolver

Handgun (scr 1-5, lw 6-9, sw 10-14, fw 15+) Range: 25 m Load: 4/2

* grenades, up to 8 each

Shrapnel Grenade (scr 1-3, lw 4-8, sw 9-12, fw 13+)

* cigarettes and alcohol

* IR goggles (see heat sources in complete darkness)

* _one_ tripod-mounted light machine gun

 LMG (heavy weapon; ld 1-7, md 8-11, sd 12-18, dd 19+) Range: 100 m

* other reasonable requests (i.e., climbing or swimming equipment) 

They will _not_ be provided with:

* Rocket Launchers or anti-vehicular weapons

* Any form of poisons or bacteriological weapons

* Any form of air support 

After being equipped for the mission, the characters are hastily, before they have had all their
questions answered or fully know what to expect, escorted ouf of the Consulate (Good luck!
Godspeed!) and to an airfield in part of La Ceiba. If it has not begun to already, it begins to rain. 

*** PART TWO: ***

THE TRIP
The characters are taken into a UH-1 helicopter, which leaves the ramshackle La Ceiba field and flies
to the south. The pilot is silent and chain-smokes cigarettes. Beneath, under clouds of mist, they see
the town give out, followed by dirt roads through swamps and expanses of seething green. As the
land rises, glistening brown streams, their distance difficult to gauge, cut through the increasingly
large mountains. Investigators with Sixth Sense probably have a perceptive twinge. The flight takes
over two hours.

Gradually, the helicopter settles over an area with a poorly-maintained road, high in the mountains.
By the road, a large area has been fenced off with ten feet of chain link and barbed wire, and gravel
and pesticides have cleared out a space. Inside, a few old oil drums sit around, and a U.S. flag flies
next to a tin shack. This is Emergency Airfield 21-B, a mostly-disused landing point for helicopters in
the region. The helicopter touches down and drops the characters off.

The airfield is deserted. The characters have the key to the gate, which is padlocked. Some gasoline
is not in the drums, but in a pump behind the tin shack, which is otherwise empty. 

HOBSONS CHOICE
Also within the enclosure, relatively well-maintained-looking, are a jeep and a motorboat, both large
enough for the entire party, if not comfortably. If examined, there is only enough fuel for one of the
two. Taking both would anyway split their fighting force... but which is safer and more stealthy? The
characters must choose whether to enter the jungle by road or by river. A Drive Vehicle roll is
necessary to get the car running, and a Seamanship roll is necessary to align and start up the boat.
The car can be driven straight out of the enclosure; the boat must be carried 50 feet (three men can
do it) to the river, on the other side of the road.

The north entrance to the Olancho Valley is an hour by jeep, up rough country roads, and two hours
by boat, smoother but slower (it is upstream). If the characters go by road, they head on muddy,
hard-to-navigate roads which roughly follow the rivers course. If they go by boat, they have a calmer
time.
If the characters are tempted to stay at the airfield overnight,they will hear metallic grinding sounds
and tones from its dark corners, and will hopefully be frightened into leaving. No further help is
forthcoming from the U.S. Army.

If the characters radio to the Army frequently, the GM must create a personality for the Army radio
operators, but they are businesslike, even cold people. 

THE ENVIRONMENT
The nearby jungle is a thick, green rain forest. Ferns, mosses and all variety of plantlife grow at the
root bases of black trees, who support entire different ecosystems at the level of their branches. The
trees are not as tall as in large jungles, few higher than 20 or 30 feet. The characters may still have to
hack through some areas with machetes or the like (bayonets are awful for this work).

Peccaries, panthers and other animals live in the Olancho Valley. Their behavior has been altered by
the horror and is erratic. A character making an appropriate Academic Skill roll (Zoology or Natural
Science), or a Survival roll with 10+ effect, notices the strange behavior; unusually placed spoor, half-
mutilated but uneaten bodies of prey, animals wandering seemingly aimlessly. Bats are also present,
flapping their shrieking way between the trees after dark and lapping blood from sleeping humans.
The people in civilized parts of Honduras spread tall tales that the tribes in these areas have tails.

All Endurance costs and losses (except from wounds) are doubled during the day because of the
heat, unless a character has the Endure Heat/Cold Advantage. +3 is added to the die roll for all
Infections (cumulative with other modifiers). 

THE WAY TO OLANCHO

The following is an optional encounter. This part of the adventure can be eliminated if desired.

As the characters approach the Olancho Valley, a PER roll with good effect spots human figures
watching from the forest. The native Zambu tribes who have lived there sense the characters.
Having fled the Valley themselves, they now try to protect other people from exposing themselves
to the danger.

However, fear has not increased their communication ability, and they believe the best way to keep
the characters away is to frighten them.

* If the characters are in the jeep, a crowd of 2d10 Zambu tribesmen and women appears from the
forest, blocking the road. One word in English is repeated: Go. The tribespeople bear spears and
bows, and threaten the car with them. If the characters do not want to confront the tribespeople,
they will have to turn around and come back later (this is the easiest method; the faster the
characters drive, the less chance there is that the Zambu will have time to organize a resistance. If
they are literally speeding along (fast enough as to have to make a Drive Vehicle roll or roll on the
vehicle damage table for a mild crash), the Zambu will move aside for the characters rather than
being run over.

* If the characters are in the boat, the Zambus method is more aggressive; 2d10 of them begin
shooting arrows from along the bank into the boat, intentionally missing the characters but causing
collateral damage. The surprise of suddenly being attacked by arrows may cause characters to
overreact, if not to instantly fire back. Each round a PER roll with an effect of 10+ may be attempted;
a success indicates to the character that the Zambus are not aiming to hit. Intuition also reads no
dangerous
intentions from the Zambu. After several minutes, if arrow showers do not get a reaction from the
characters, they too shout Go! Go! from the woods.

The Zambu cannot stop the characters from advancing up the river, but they _can_ physically block
the road. Sign language may be able to tell some of the story, or one of the characters may speak
Zambu. The Zambu know that the people in La Croix have not left the village for days. They know
that the animals are going mad and something is spreading evil. They just want to protect the
characters, but the last U.S. soldiers to come here (Maywit and Polski, as is confirmed if the
characters show them pictures) were rude to them and if it becomes too much trouble the Zambu
will leave into the jungle and hide, abandoning the characters to their fate. The Zambu are not very
specific about the dangers but they do tell the characters to beware the black men who are roaming
the woods.

If, conversely, the characters attack the Zambu, the encounter could become a bloodbath. The first
round that the characters attack will probably kill many Zambu, but the survivors will fight back for
at least one or two rounds, shooting arrows and throwing spears from cover. The characters best
hope is to lie low until their superior transportation takes them out of range; the Zambu will not
follow them deeper into Olancho Valley. If the characters face the Zambu on the road, pointing guns
at them will also cause them to flee into the forest.

If a fight takes place on the river the characters may be knocked into the water, in which case the
blood will attract bull sharks (described later).

If the GM intends the characters from this adventure to possibly be used again, the tribesmen could
reappear later as allies to rescue a character from the jungle. The darker (and preferred) outcome is
a slaughter of the natives. 

OLANCHO VALLEY
Whether by river or road, soon the characters enter the Olancho Valley area. If they are heading
upriver, their first sign of a change is the bridge. 100 km from the nearest town besides La Croix,
Olancho Valley is a remote spot created by the intersection of the Gowdy and Lastima mountains. In
the 1960s a shelter was built there by the American military in the case of an attack by Cuban
Communists. It has never been used. La Croix (population 300)s primary industry is fruit growing.

THE MAP
(One disadvantage of Text files is that its impossible to create a map. However, this lists the
landscapes dominant features:)

(1) The Gowdy Range, the northwest/west/southwest border of the valley

(2) The Lastima Range, the southeast/east border of the valley

(3) The Airfield, in the north entrance to the valley

(4) The river, which flows from the meeting point of the Gowdy and Lastima ranges (south edge of
the map) through the north entrance to the valley and away

(5) La Croix, a small town, on the west side of the river near a bridge

(6) The abandoned bunker, in the Gowdy range to the far west.

(7) The road, which goes directly from La Croix, over the bridge, and out the north end of the valley
to the airfield.
(8) The concealed road, which goes from the source of the river to the road just before La Croix.

It is an extra half-days walk to go directly through the mountains on any side of Olancho Valley.
Clouds often hang over the mountain edges, causing rain and poor visibility within the green jungle
already full of musty, rotten scents and the shrieks of animals and bats. In glens which would
otherwise be peaceful, flies and mosquitoes buzz over sticky fruit and decaying meat.

Time becomes important at this part of the adventure. The characters may rush through everything
in one day and night. Or they may hole up for several days in the wilderness, limited only by their
food supplies. As time goes on, however, the attacks of the Blood Angels (q.v.) and the Black Horse
Troop (q.v.) become more dangerous and insistent. Make sure that the characters do not encounter
too much too fast; save the truly horrible events until it is too late for them to turn back. 

THE BRIDGE
A wooden bridge, its paint curling and peeling, ten feet wide. It crosses 15 feet above the somewhat
turbulent brown river. From the bridge it is less than 10 km to La Croix. If the bridge is destroyed, it
does not sink entirely in the water and blocks both the road and the river.

An investigator with Enhanced Awareness or Schizophrenia may see the muddy color of the river
water turn to blood. Its source is high up in the mountains, in an area unmarked on the map.

Bear in mind that the river water contains bull sharks (see description) in its lowland areas. As the
landscape rises the water is too rapid for the hungry, concealed predators. 

LA CROIX
The road ends in a large clearing of dirt and wood chips, which is La Croix.

The buildings range from European-style structures made of wood and white paint to low, dark huts
made from spare timber and corrugated tin. Chicken droppings and manure are smeared at the edge
of the houses. The characters may expect to find either allies or enemies here. However, the first
thing that they will notice is that all is quiet.

The town is deserted. The electricity (which runs from a generator behind the church) has been
allowed to run out. In the mayors house a radio kit sits unused. From all signs, it was inhabited as
recently as a week ago. There are some signs of struggle or violence, but not nearly enough to
account for everyone; one of the few cars has crashed into a wall, a doors lock is broken, there are
shell casings from a .45 automatic in the street.

However, a disturbing quiet still hangs over the entire area. Most of the evidence seems to indicate
that everyone simply got up one morning and left. There is one unusual mark: on the white wall of
the church a black handprint is smeared. The black substance resembles tar, but smells like rotting
meat. Some sort of Chemistry roll indicates that it there is some human flesh in the stuff, but it has
undergone an unclassifiable, decomposition-like change.

If the characters want to do some looting, they can pick up gamy food and drink, and some personal
goods, although these are poor people. A Search roll with 5+ effect discovers inside one house a
black armband -- symbol of the Black Horse Troop -- and some revolutionary literature and bomb-
making equipment.

While the characters are in town, they may have a gradual, creeping feeling that they are being
watched. 
THE BUNKER
In the west edge of the Gowdy Mountains, the black entrance to the old army bunker lies half-
concealed, buried in plant growth. The bases gray, chipped concrete entrance is now closed off with
steel bars and a padlock reading PROPERTY OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. However, the bars are weak
enough to bend (STR 11, resisted effect rolls) and wide enough to squeeze through (AGL roll, normal
effect). A strong enough blow could also knock them out of their moorings forever.

The old bunker is two levels deep, with an upper story and a staircase leading down to a second
level. Both levels contain broken rock, spiderwebs, dust and little else. It would be a good place to
defend or hole up for the night.

However, Jorge Diego is also hiding here. If the characters search the bunker and make a higher
effect with their PER/Search rolls than Diego does with his Hide roll, Diego is spotted. He is a
disshevelled, unshaven figure and the characters may be prone to shoot first and ask questions later.

However, if allowed, Diego will tell the truth as he knows it.

DIEGOS STORY
Diego was a left-wing reporter who had uncovered many stories, including a scandal in President
Marquez handling of the Honduran Constitution. Not long after the story, one day in Tegucigalpa,
about a week ago, two army men took him away at gunpoint. (Diego identifies them as Polski and
Maywit.) They were very quiet (and forceful), but said something to the effect that they were taking
him to a special place where he would meet important people. He was chained between the two of
them, too afraid and confused to say anything to cops or other people.

They drove him up into the mountains and into the Olancho Valley. They took a side road and were
climbing even higher up into the mountains when suddenly something got in the road (or
something) and Polski and Maywit flipped the car. By this time Diego was very scared so when he
found his bonds had been severed he just ran. Behind him he heard gunshots. However, he did not
stop running until he came to the bunker. Since then, he has been hiding.

Diego could become either an ally or a victim of the characters, depending on how they handle him. 

THE CONCEALED ROAD

This side road is almost invisible when coming into La Croix; it is nothing more than a track matted
down by repeated jeep rides. A PER roll with 10+ effect is needed to notice it, and a Track roll is
required to follow the road for any distance.

The road does not parallel the river, but it gradually leads up to the conjunction of the Gowdy and
Lostima ranges, and the river's source. To drive along this road the characters must make Drive
Vehicle rolls for every 10 km or the car bogs down or blows a tire. 

THE OVERTURNED JEEP

Along the almost invisible side road, half-buried in the tall grass, glints the bluish gunmetal color of a
jeep of the same sort the characters might be driving. It was the jeep Polski, Maywit and Diego were
in. It has rolled over on its right side, leaving heavy tracks in the mud.

The key still in the jeep ignition shows it was requisitioned from the U.S. Army base at Tegucigalpa.
Some beer cans lie in the floor of the car. A Search roll with 10+ effect notices spent shell casings in
the grass around the jeep; someone fired at least a full clip of an automatic weapon.

However, there is no blood anywhere.

No trackable footprints lead off anywhere, though army-regulation boots -two pairs- are imprinted
in the same mud the jeep slipped in. The only unusual thing otherwise is a flattened area in the
direction the jeep was going, as if a very heavy weight was pressed on the ground. This requires a
Search roll with 5+ effect to notice. 

SIGNS OF TERROR
As the characters explore further, they will come upon signs of Sathariels presence and the human
reaction to it.

More traces of the black substance are smeared in various areas throughout the woods, on plants
and the sides of trees. In spots the characters may also find bloody bits of meat strung between the
trees, swarmed over by flies and insects. This is human flesh, as anyone with Forensics or Medical
academic skills can identify.

Some of the flies in the valley seem unkillable; they immediately try to gather on the characters
eyelids and, even if swatted and crushed, the smashed pieces continue to squirm. Of course, with
insects such things can almost be rationalized away.

The characters may spot animals running towards them, only to continue running past them, as if in
fear of something else. 

EVENT: THE WATCHERS IN THE WOODS

The only things that now walk the Olancho Valley at night are the Blood Angels, children of Sathariel.
The Blood Angels watch the characters from the moment they enter the valley. At first only small
groups of one or two will be present, but gradually, more and more will join to go on the hunt.
Moving on all fours, climbing the trees and keeping _very_ quiet -- except sometimes for a telltale
dripping -- the Blood Angels wait for the moment to attack. The Blood Angels will kill the Black Horse
Troop and Jorge Diego with equal eagerness.

Build up the frequency of encounters gradually. When the characters finally actually see the Angels,
make it a shocking event. Do not make the adventure a routine series of attacks. The Angels are
tactically intelligent. They will try to attack when the characters are already fighting or are
distracted; at night, when they can see and the characters cannot; or when the characters weapons
are not out. Once in combat, though, they keep coming suicidally. When the Angels kill a human
they crouch around like dogs and divide up the meat.

When they are alone in the valley, the characters are faced by Blood Angels only in the 1d5 number
range. When the Black Horse Troop arrives, the Angels numbers rise dramatically, so that hordes of
10+1d10 Angels sweep through the valley, ambushing and killing. 

EVENT: THE BLACK HORSE TROOP ARRIVES

When the characters have been in the valley for a short time, and are just beginning to feel that
something is wrong, spring this second major catastrophe on them. Up from the road past the
airbase, and straight into La Croix if not stopped, rolls a convoy of 3 jeeps, 2 armored personnel
carriers, and an old requisitioned bus; Captain Albert Holts infamous mercenary army, the merciless
Black Horse Troop.

If the characters are on or near the road, they may hear the Troop; if they are watching the road,
they may see them; otherwise, their first sign of the Troop's presence may be smoke coming from
the town of La Croix when the Troop sets up its camp. (The characters may take this smoke for any
number of things, of course.) If the characters are parked or encamped asleep near the road they
may have very little time indeed to escape before the Troop pulls in.

Murderers, ransackers, possible old foes of the characters -- why is the Troop here? If the characters
revealed their plans to Gian Martinez at La Ceiba, or if one is Captain Holts Mortal Enemy, they are
here looking for the characters. If not, they are here to check up on their allies and informants in the
town of La Croix (the bomb-making equipment the characters may have found). In either case, their
presence cuts the characters off from the one road out of the valley, if they came by jeep.

The characters may go face-to-face with the 60-member Troop. Captain Albert Holt, however, stays
out of danger with PER 20 and Sixth Sense. If the characters snipe at them or otherwise engage them
in terrorist attacks, the Troop takes a defensive position and sends guerilla-like units of 5-10 men
each out into the jungle to look for the characters. They can also bring Gatling guns and grenade
launchers to bear against the characters, once they have an idea of their location. (Remember that,
even if the characters are only one hidden sniper, there may be ten soldiers with binoculars scanning
for them at a given time.) In an emergency, the Troop may always simply fire off smoke grenades,
obscuring whole kilometers of ground. The one thing the Troop will not do is retreat or leave the
Valley; Captain Holt would never admit defeat.

If unobstructed, the Troop arrives in La Croix. Immediately they too realize that something has gone
wrong. However, they camp in the town, using the abandoned houses near the center of town for
cover, and guarding their vehicles and weapons. The unexpected, absolute silence makes the
soldiers wary; they build a bonfire and burn some of the shacks. If they find traces that the
characters have been there (such as their jeep) Captain Holt will spare no effort to find the
characters. He believes that the village was massacred by the U.S. Army for harboring allies of the
Troop.

Several soldiers are always on watch outside the camp. Squads of the Troop, trained in guerilla
warfare and completely trigger-happy, are sent into the jungle looking for the characters. If they
engage in combat, one fires a flare into the air to alert the other teams of their position. 

IF CAPTAIN HOLT IS KILLED:

The characters may try to defeat Captain Holt, which should not be easy. Being paranoid, he has
tripwires in the entrance to his tent, and always sleeps on the floor with a roughly-human-looking
pile of blankets in his hammock instead. He is also guarded by at least two men at all times.If Holt,
however, is killed, the Troop becomes merely a leaderless mass of men with guns. The dissent and
rivalry leads into firefights which spill throughout the Valley. Or perhaps in the confusion the Blood
Angels (q.v.) strike and wounded men run screaming with their rifles while black shapes squat over
the bodies of their former comrades tearing them apart withtheir tar-caked teeth. 

IF THE BLACK HORSE TROOP IS DEFEATED:

If the characters kill or seriously demoralize the 60-man Troop, possibly by exploding their vehicles,
setting their camp on fire, etc... well, the GM has probably been too light on them. However, a
tournament adventure must accept all possibilities. With the majority of his men dead, several
others defect, leaving only Captain Holt (who survives all random dangers) and a few loyalists.
However, this small, select group is now capable of moving as stealthily as the characters. Seeking
revenge on the ones responsible, Holt sets out to find the characters. They are certain to run into
one another somewhere in the vines and ferns of the jungle. 
IF THE CHARACTERS ARE CAPTURED:
Captain Albert Holt will make some slight effort to keep the characters alive -- one of them. In
combat engagements his men have absolutely no mercy, but will capture a character alive if
possible. They are mocked and kicked around for their U.S. Army insignia; surviving characters find
themselves disarmed and shoved past a stinking, sweating gauntlet of army personnel, past battered
helmets, fingers caked with gun grease, and gas masks with Twahka fertility symbols painted in
black-market makeup on the rubber.

In the center of the Troop sits Albert Holt, sleeves rolled up, his Desert Eagle in one hand. Holt eyes
the characters emotionlessly while the soldiers continue to abuse them. Then he cuts them short.

"What does the U.S. army want in Olancho Valley?" he asks.

The characters could tell him is the truth as they know it. However, Holt still does not know enough.
Where was this political prisoner, Jorge Diego, being taken? What happened to Polski and Maywit?
And why is everyone in the Valley gone?

Holts theory is that the U.S. army has a secret base somewhere nearby where they are testing
biological weapons. Diego knew too much, so he was being taken there -- probably taken to be
executed. As this rumor spreads through the Black Horse Troop, they become afraid of disease, and
burn all the corpses from the recent battles, throwing them onto the bonfire. The sound of crackling
fat continues throughout the conversation.

Albert Holt hates the characters, and now he has them in his power. He wants to know why
everyone in Olancho is gone. The best thing they could do is to imply that they can show Holt more,
or lead Holt to the answer. If they take him to other places they have seen in the Valley, he will be
temporarily satisfied, but will soon lose patience. If the characters have not thought of it already,
Holt discerns that the obvious path of Polski and Maywit -- the obvious place to go -- is to the source
of the river.

Clearly that is the location of the secret U.S. base. He, the characters, and the Black Horse Troop
begin marching in that direction. The worse thing the characters could do is to imply that they know
more, but they arent telling. If the characters are at all disrespectful of Holt, or are his Mortal Enemy,
he will go expressionless, mutter something, and leave. A PER roll notices him make a gesture to one
of the nearby soldiers.

Almost immediately after Holt is out of sight the other soldiers begin to torture the characters.
Restraining the others, they take the one who Holt was talking to and hold them down while they
sharpen a bamboo stake and burn it in the fire. Seeming to become possessed by a group madness,
they then return and impale the character, who dies painfully, incidentally suffering a +10 Terror
Throw first. The other characters must make a Terror Throw to witness the scene. At this point the
soldiers expect the characters to scream for mercy and for Holt to come back. If the GM wishes, this
part can be dragged out, but it is suggested that no more than one or two characters die from
impalement, castration, or being burned at the stake. After a few minutes of this, Holt returns. He
looks dispassionately at the body of the dead character. Those making a PER roll notice his bone-
white face lengthen almost imperceptibly for a second.

"Nicaragua," he said. "They learned it from guerrillas in Nicaragua. I try to stop them, but they..." He
shakes his head and the Black Horse Troop laughs as Holt points his Desert Eagle at the surviving
characters and tells them to lead the way upriver. 
*** PART THREE: ***
UP THE RIVER
At some point, the characters will realize that the source of the river is important; whether from
seeing the river turn to blood, from Jorge Diegos testimony, from following the concealed road, or
simply from noting the lack of features there on the map. The climax of the adventure assumes that
the characters head in that direction.

If the characters radio to HQ for instructions, their commanding officers will tell them under no
circumstances to go to the source of the river, leaving no explanation. However, assuming that an
investigator with Radio Communications skill is still alive, remember the radios are still fragile and
prone to damage from falling into rivers, being accidentally shot or caught in the blast area of
grenades, or being confiscated and ripped apart by Black Horse Troop members.

Note that the nearest U.S. helicopter base is an hour and thirty minutes flying time from the Olancho
Valley. The Black Horse Troop is prone to fire Gatling guns at U.S. copters in these circumstances,
blowing them up.

If the characters go upriver with the Black Horse Troop, they will be forced to walk like slaves, tied to
one another and watched by men with rifles. The Troop is unwieldy for such long hikes in the
wilderness, but Holt leads them inexorably on. If the GM desires, the Blood Angels may

attack the Black Horse Troop, possibly allowing the characters an opportunityto escape.

If the characters have been captured by a smaller force or possibly ambushed by Albert Holt himself,
he will lead them with his Desert Eagle handgun up the river, shooting at the first sign of
misbehavior. His voice becomes more cracked and hoarse as he accuses the U.S. army of all sorts of
crimes; of prejudice, of miscegenation, of imperialism, of killing thousands of innocent people, of
letting thousands more stay alive. Holts value system is completely insane at this point. Anyone who
tries to turn back is shot.

If the characters go upstream alone, or with Jorge Diego, they will have to stop using the boat and
walk 2/3 of the way up the mountain. As they climb, the sounds of wildlife stops completely, and a
gray, dark mist clings like dew around the plants of the rain forest. The river becomes a stream
which cascades over rocks. 

ALBERT HOLT'S TRANSFORMATION

At some point, whenever the GM finds it appropriate, Albert Holts low Mental Balance causes him to
undergo physical changes. This may be after a particular traumatic experience or simply gradually, as
his maniacal ego goes wild.

Holts face suddenly goes white, as the bones push their way to the top of his skin. His cheeks
lengthen and his chin climbs forward, elongating. His hair recedes and his eyes sink back until only
dark eyesockets are visible, but still he is somehow able to see. Then his skin recedes completely and
in place of Albert Holts head, still in his U.S. military uniform, is a horses skull, frozen in an eyeless,
perpetual grin.

(If the GM has a horse skull or a picture of one present, it would make an excellent prop.) The
change causes a +5 Terror Throw to watch. Most horribly, Holt does not notice anything. His Mental
Constrictions refuse to let him acknowledge that anything is happening. If a few of Holts men are
alive, some may rebel or go mad. Holt shoots them. His dry, foot-long jaw clacking hollowly, he
announces that any more traitors can go back to civilization if they want and wait for the atomic
bombs. He starts to say that he has heard secret army dispatches and the world outside is about to
be destroyed by a nuclear war.

"You want to go back?" he says. "Places like this are all that wil survive! Its death down there! Death!
Death!" 

THE SOURCE OF THE RIVER

One way or another, the characters climb over a final series of steppes just before the flat plateau
between the mountains. Those making a PER roll notice a rank, dead smell.

When they climb over the last ridge, they see a 100 diameter muddy swamp, sometimes a lake,
where the river originates. This however is not the souce of the smell. Nearby, behind a low hillock,
is an area where the ground is scraped up with jeep tracks. Looking over the hill, the characters see a
long, deep trench, over which flies are buzzing.

In the trench are half-buried over a hundred bodies, some male, some female. None of them are
armed. All of them have been killed execution-style with M16A1 ammo, the same kind used by U.S.
soldiers. Spent casings litter the ground. The bodies seem almost to have melted together in their
decay, with folds of gray, greasy skin already being spotted with dark livery patches. If the characters
search, they will find some identification cards, and remember (with an EGO roll) the names of
several antigovernment activists and journalists from Honduras, who vanished between weeks and
months ago.

If the Black Horse Troop or Albert Holt are present, they recognize the villagers from La Croix, also in
the morass of corpses. Holts voice trembles with hate and stupefaction as he accuses the characters
of murder, if they have not voiced such sentiments already.

Call for a Terror Throw for characters who seem to understand. Then call for a PER throw. With a
successful roll the characters recognize Polski and Maywit, also half-buried in the rotting pile,
mouthes agape. They may also notice a black substance on the mouthes of some of the corpses, and
that Polski, Maywit and the villagers did not appear to have been killed by guns.

While they are considering what this means, or when it seems appropriate to the GM, the entire pile
of corpses moves. A tremble passes through it. Then the sticky black mass, like tar, which dwells
underneath and inside them rises to the top and begins to beat the entire mass of rotting meat into
a froth. With a long, wet motion the grave oozes out of the trench and dead arms begin to reach for
the characters, the Black Horse Troop, anything nearby -- and Polski's eyes flicker open, he opens his
mouth as if to speak, but a long spout of tar splashes out instead and onto a characters face. 

THE OUTCOME
Everyone takes a +10 Terror Throw as the Incarnate of Sathariel comes alive, attacking the nearest
living things. Unless the characters have fared well against them and killed many, the Blood Angels
also now rush out of the jungle and attack.

Sathariel cannot be destroyed, and the characters are guilty, guilty; if they suffer from disadvantages
such as a Death Wish or Depression, they must make EGO rolls or commit suicide or throw
themselves into the mass.

The Blood Angels can at least be fought, and Albert Holt and the Troop degenerate into a mass of
madmen, half shooting their attackers, half killing themselves rather than face them. Terrorized,
Albert Holts mental guard begins to break down, and his hands clutch madly over his inhuman face,
crying in a child's voice for his brother.
The moving mass grave will follow anyone who survives the initial assault. Moving at 30 m/round, it
is impossible to outrun except in a motor vehicle or boat. To make it back to La Croix (the nearest
arbitrary place where they are likely to find either, adjust values otherwise) the characters must
make 5 CON rolls, losing 10 Endurance for each roll they make and 20 Endurance for each roll they
fail. Soon they will hear the black mass crashing through the woods after them. Their only hope is to
split up, after which the slowest character will then be devoured. If they remain together, they will
all die. Heavy explosives can stun the thing long enough for them to make it to a vehicle, if they
know where one is.

If they cannot drive out -- perhaps the bridge has been blown out, perhaps the vehicles have all been
destroyed in collateral damage during fights -- the river provides one alternative, but Blood Angels
will still throw themselves from the branches above, attacking them mercilessly. The nearest village
is 2 days downstream. If the characters instead end up in the jungle, civilization is at least 4 days
away by foot, and they may always end up in the endless greenery of Gaia instead. Memories of the
battles may reappear as Manifestations, and new disadvantages dog them, causing them to wake in
their sleep, dreaming of combat.

Finally, returning to the U.S. army, they are locked in a small room in the bottom of an outpost in La
Ceiba or Tegucigalpa, where expressionless army Inquisitors find out what happened to them. While
their supernatural encounters are not acknowledged, only characters who seem to show the most
total callousness or forgetfulness towards the mass grave are allowed to return to anything like a
semblance of normal army service. They are told never to speak of their experience. If they register
outrage, sadness, or betrayal, the characters remain locked in their steel-walled rooms until either
incarcerated in an asylum or taken out unexpectedly one night by two armed men in U.S. Army
uniforms for a ride into the middle of nowhere. 

POINTS IN TOURNAMENT PLAY

Some people (such as Convention organizers) seem to like deciding on a winner in tournament-style
games, so here is a way to calculate team and personal score for the party. 

TEAM SCORE
+10 Did not attack the natives going upriver

+5 Did not kill Jorge Diego

+5 Made it to the source of the river and encountered the Tar Mother

+15 Defeated or avoided combat with Black Horse Troop 

PERSONAL SCORE
+5 Good Roleplaying (Advantages & Disadvantages)

-5 Personally killed Jorge Diego, i.e. took a gun and shot him

+5 Personally killed Albert Holt (unless inappropriate to character)

+10 Made it to the source of the river and encountered the Tar Mother

+15 Survived entire adventure

+5 Died in any other way than through the Tar Mother

+5 Realizes the significance of the mass grave and the plot (as such) of
the adventure (and vocalizes this in or out of character) 

NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
JORGE DIEGO
A reporter from northern Mexico who went to college in Arizona, Jorge Diego has spent the last two
years in Honduras studying the civil unrest. He believes in the power of the press to expose
government injustices, and was shocked when two U.S. soldiers intercepted him at the airport in
Tegucigalpa and drove him into the jungle, telling him to stay quiet if he wanted to stay alive. Since
his escape he has remained hidden, absolutely afraid and uncertain of how to return to civilization.
By now his fear of more abusive soldiers only barely outweighs his fear of his current situation.

PERSONALITY: Originally idealistic if somewhat patronizing, Diego has been battered by his
experiences in Honduras. However, he has not allowed himself to believe that the U.S. government
would kill him. If overtaken by fear, he will flee at the first opportunity.

GAMEMASTERING HINTS: Do as you are told once found, but keep looking nervously behind your
back. Talk rapidly, switching between different languages; try to be friendly, say anything to stay
alive.

AGL 14

STR 11

CON 12 (currently 7)

COM 13

EGO 13 (10)

CHA 14

PER 12

EDU 16

Mental Balance: -15

Advantages: Gift for Languages (+10)

Disadvantages: Wanted (by U.S. army, -10), Innocently Blamed (-15)

Skills: Written Report 13, Photography 13, Drive Vehicle 13, Rhetoric 13, Diplomacy 13, Acting 13,
Unarmed Combat 6, Man of the World 10, Computers 12, Hide 6, Sneak 6, Creole 13, Spanish 13,
Zambu 7

ATTACK MODES: By weapon; Diego is initially unarmed. 

CAPTAIN ALBERT HOLT

Born in 1949 in Maryland, Holts Mental Balance first fell below zero in 1959 when he saw his older
brother trampled to death by one of the familys four prized horses. The following day, Holt took the
familys Civil War revolver and executed all the horses at close range, becoming sprayed in the
process with brains and blood. His first military experience was Vietnam. An efficient, callous
soldier with a supernatural ability to predict and avoid danger, he was quickly promoted. However,
there was an unspoken prejudice against his progression too high on the chain of command, actually
the work of military lictors against a human officer. During the ousting of Noriega from Panama, Holt
defected, betraying most of his official soldiers to the Panaman army and buying leadership of a 20-
man mercenary outfit with guns and drug secrets. In the next five years Holts Black Horse Troop, as it
was called, expanded to over 50 members. Selling to the highest bidder (although always opposing
U.S. policy) and encouraging Central Americas wars, the Troop has always slipped out of the traps
laid by other military units.

Holt is currently in league with rebels against the U.S.-backed Honduran government. He is in the
valley either to meet with informants in La Croix, or to capture the party in the isolated valley and
torture them to reveal the armys plans.

Holt is a tall, bony, clean-shaven Caucasian man with brushed-back black hair which is graying at the
temples. He usually wears a battered green cap with earflaps which partially hide his face. When
shocked at his current Mental Balance and in this environment, he undergoes physical changes for
the first time, his eyes receding into his head and his face elongating into a fleshless horses skull,
locked in a dead, impossible leer.

PERSONALITY: Holt is a megalomaniac who will not acknowledge his own failures or give up on a
goal once he begins. He hates the U.S. government, abhors weakness, and always has a scapegoat.
Deep down he is still scarred from his childhood. For all this he is very intelligent and competent.

GAMEMASTERING HINTS: Allow little expression in your face, but let your voice register anticipation,
malice, and repressed doubt. Talk endlessly about political goals, your army days or revenge, but let
it become obvious you only like the sound of your own voice. When you develop physical changes,
try to change your voice and hide your face from the characters.

AGL 17

STR 11

CON 16

COM 9

EGO 18 (8)

CHA 15

PER 20

EDU 15

Actions: 3

Initiative Bonus: +5

Damage Bonus: +2

Mental Balance: -70

Dark Secrets: Insanity, Guilty of Crime

Advantages: Sixth Sense (+15)

Disadvantages: Megalomania (-10), Mental Constrictions (physical changes and his own errors, -10),
Bad Reputation (-10), Wanted (by various governments, -5), Paranoia (-15), Rationalist (-15), Oath of
Revenge (U.S. army, -5), Habitual Liar (-5), Intolerance (civilians, -10)

Skills: Auto Weapon 12, Handgun 17, Unarmed Combat 10, Rifle/Crossbow 12, Sneak 17, Search 17,
Info Retrieval 6, Code Systems 6, Radio Communications 10, Written Report 15, Man of the World
15, Interrogation 15, Net of Contacts 15 (paramilitary units), Diplomacy 10, Military Tactics 18, Drive
Vehicle 12, Dodge 17, Hide 11, Track 11, Shadows 11, Change Targets 17, Quick Draw 17

Attack Modes: Desert Eagle handgun 17 (scr 1-5, lw 6-9, sw 10-14, fw 15+) 

BLACK HORSE TROOP

(Average Member)

Physically powerful men between 18 and 45, wearing stolen military uniforms (usually green or
camouflage) and black armbands to indicate their allegiance. Some wear gas masks, respirators or
spiked, feathered and bone-ornamented clothes inspired by the native tribes; others maintain the
appearance of normalcy. Many have military- or equstrian-style tattoos some of which stink and itch
in the heat, attracting lice and flies as the ink runs perverting the original design still further.
Alternately, they are warped alter egos of the player characters.

If the GM wants to toughen the Black Horse Troop, give some of the soldiers Martial Arts ability.

PERSONALITY: The Troops are a polyglot of American, Spanish, Native American and black Honduran
soldiers, most disbanded from various armies in disgrace or opportunism. Some have withdrawn to
nurse private grudges and goals, but many others seek only to drink, loot the countryside and rape
its natives after killing resistance. All, however, obey Albert Holt totally.

GAMEMASTERING HINTS: Swing between behaving with tense, military seriousness and casual,
personal cruelty. Leer, laugh, snarl, be raucous. Be at your best behavior when addressed by Albert
Holt, but also show your fear of him.

Wipe sweat off yourself.

AGL (14-16)

STR 16

CON 11

COM (6-11)

EGO (6-11)

CHA 6

PER (11-15)

EDU (6-11)

Actions: (2-3)

Initiative Bonus: (+2-4)

Damage Bonus: +3

Mental Balance: -20 -2d20 (-42)

Dark Secrets: Guilty of Crime

Advantages: (suggested) Endure Pain, Endure Cold/Heat, Resistance to Illness

Disadvantages: (suggested) Bad Reputation, Death Wish, Fanaticism, Forgotten, Touchy, Wanted (by
U.S. army or for crimes), Egotist, Greed

Skills: Climb 10, Swim 10, Sneak 12, Dodge 14, Unarmed Combat 16, Auto Weapon 11, Handgun 11,
Rifle/Crossbow 16, Dagger/Knife 11, Survival 11, Throwing Weapons 11, Interrogation 6, Burglary 11,
Drive Vehicle 10, Night Combat 6, Heavy Weapons 10

Individual soldiers may have other or higher skills (such as Motor Mechanics) as necessary.

Attack Modes: Ingram Mac-10 submachine gun 11 (scr 1-4, lw 5-9, sw 10-14, fw 15+) (single, burst,
auto)

Glock m17 handgun 11 (scr 1-5, lw 6-9, sw 10-15, fw 16+)

CAR 15 machine gun 11/rifle 16 (scr 1-4, lw 5-9, sw 10-14,

fw 15+) (single, burst, auto)

Hunting Rifle 16 (scr 1-5, lw 6-9, sw 10-13, fw 14+)

Sniper Rifle 16 (scr 1-3, lw 4-8, sw 9-13, fw 14+)

Survival Knife 11 (scr 1-9, lw 11-15, sw 16-18, fw 19+)

Shrapnel Grenade 11 (scr 1-3, lw 4-8, sw 9-12, fw 13+)

Mortar 10 (heavy weapon; ld 1-10, md 11-14, sd 15-7, dd 18+)

Gatling Gun 10 (heavy weapon; ld 1-5, md 6-9, sd 10-18, dd 19+)

Number Encountered: Varies. There are 60 members of the Black Horse Troop. 

ZAMBU TRIBESPEOPLE
(Average Member)

The Honduran native peoples vary between friendly, curious and warlike. All have encountered
Western civilization, usually in the form of missionaries, soldiers or other exploiting and corrupting
elements. The Zambu near Olancho lived by fishing and hunting. They are short black people with
slightly Asiatic features. They wear ragged white or khaki loinclothes made of bits of clothes they
have collected, which do not conceal their nudity.

PERSONALITY: The tribal folk are generally of positive MB but suspicious of strangers. A strong
feeling of community and family binds them. Being pre-rational, they do not think well in
generalizations, only in the here-and-now. Fear of the thing in the valley has made them paranoid
and prone to violence.

GAMEMASTERING HINTS: Keep your face calm, but do not entirely conceal your mixture of curiosity
and fear for the soldiers. Look distrustful and pitying. Stand in a relaxed, almost slouching position.
Do not make unnecessary movements. Let the calmness break to show powerful emotions.

AGL (16-18)

STR 13
CON 14

COM (6-11)

EGO 11

CHA (6-11)

PER 16

EDU 0

Actions: 3

Initiative Bonus: (+4-6)

Damage Bonus: +3

Mental Balance: d20 (11)

Advantages: (suggested) Animal Friendship, Resistant to Illness, Code of Honor (protect the tribe),
Endure Cold/Heat, Endure Hunger/Thirst

Disadvantages: (suggested) Persecuted, Phobia (modern technology), Paranoia

Skills: Track 16, Hide 11, Sneak 16, Pole Arms 16, Bow & Arrow 11, Throwing Weapons 11, Impact
Weapons 16, Unarmed Combat 13, Survival 11, Night Combat 11

Attack Modes: Spear 16/11 thrown (scr 1-5, lw 6-11, sw 12-14, fw 15+)

Bow & Arrow 11 (scr 1-6, lw 7-11, sw 12-16, fw 17+)

Number Encountered: 2d10 (11) 

BULL SHARKS
These sharks can swim a great distance upstream into freshwater rivers. They are common in South
America, but some are found as far as NY or the Caribbean Sea area. They eat fish, garbage and
practically anything.

Bull sharks are 6-9 feet long, gray with white bellies. Like all sharks, they are nearly mindless and
very aggressive. If a character enters the river in the Olancho Valley there is a 1 in 20 chance per
minute or fraction thereof that they will attract a bull shark who will attack them. If they are
wounded, add their wound penalty (up to 15) to the 1 in 20 chance (i.e., if someone with one light
wound (-2) and one serious wound (-3) enters the river, the combined blood results in a 6 in 20
chance of encountering a bull shark).

AGL 2d10 (11)

STR 12+2d10 (23)

CON 10+2d10 (21)

EGO 1

PER 2d10 (11)

Length: 180-270 cm
Weight: 70-120 kg

Senses: Good smell, particularly for blood.

Movement: 5 m/combat round (swimming)

Actions: 2

Initiative Bonus: none

Damage Bonus: +4

Damage Capacity: 6 scratches=l lw, 5 light wounds=1 sw, 3 serious wounds=1

fw

Endurance: 140

Natural Armor: 2 points of rubbery hide

Attack Modes: Bite 15 (scr 1-6, lw 7-12, sw 13-21, fw 22+)

Home: Tropical seas, the Amazon, other rivers

Number encountered: 1d10 (5) 

BLOOD ANGELS
These horrors are statistically identical to the Blood Angels as depicted in LEGIONS OF DARKNESS.
Blood Angels are born of men and the Incarnate of Sathariel. They are tall, lanky humanoids who
move like predatory animals; their heads are disturbingly small for their size. Instead of skin or flesh,
they are coated in a blood and a black, sticky substance which drips and perodically sloughs off
them. You can reach straight through to a Blood Angels bone and internal organs without meeting
any resistance except disgust. Their faces are featureless behind the ooze, except for two staring,
seemingly living eyes.

PERSONALITY: The Angels of Blood have cunning and a certain dim reasoning ability, although they
are entirely controlled by the Incarnate of Sathariel.

AGL 10+1d10 (16)

STR 20+2d10 (26)

CON 20+2d10 (26)

COM 1d5 (3)

EGO 2d10 (11)

CHA 1d5 (3)

PER 10+1d10 (16)

Senses: Moves and fights without impediment in darkness

Communication: Understands a few words

Movement: 8 m/round

Actions: 3
Initiative Bonus: +4

Damage Bonus: +5

Damage Capacity: 7 scratches=1 lw, 6 light wounds=1 sw, 4 serious wounds=1 fw

Endurance: 160

Attack Mode: Bite 15 (scr 1-7, lw 8-14, sw 15-24, fw 25+), Claws 18 (scr 1-8, lw 9-16, sw 17-26, fw
27+)

Skills: Track 16, Sneak 16, Hide 16

Home: Wherever Sathariel dwells.

Number: Varies depending on stage of adventure; maximum 5+1d10 (11) 

THE TAR MOTHER

INCARNATE OF SATHARIEL

This horror is statistically identical to the Voice of the Blood, Sathariels incarnate in India. It has
arisen from the innocent being left to rot together with the guilty by the U.S. use of the mass grave.
In appearance it is a gigantic blob made up of corpses and a sticky stew of dirt, blood and other
bodily fluids. A black, tar-like substance pumps thickly in and out of the mouthes, eyeballs, and
ribcages of the gray dead, covering them and then receding like a tide. Flies and worms are caught in
the fluid and themselves become undead. It never takes human form, but at some point the GM
may find it more horrendous if it develops toothy mouthes and muscular arms of rotting flesh with
which it pulls itself over the landscape.

PERSONALITY: The Tar Mother has no consciousness. It exists only to eat and eat, to bring all within
its putrescent mass where mind, memory, body and past crimes melt into one.

AGL 25

STR 70

CON Spec.

EGO 40 (w/o consciousness)

PER 10

Modification of terror throw: +10

Senses: Can feel order, instinctively tries to conform it into chaos. Smells and senses the auras of
those around it.

Communication: none

Movement: 30 m/round

Actions: 4

Initiative Bonus: +13

Damage Bonus: +11

Damage Capacity: Cannot be killed, only scattered. Reshapes itself within 20d10 rounds.
Endurance: Unlimited

Powers: Lowers the mental balance of humans with negative balance a step per day within a range
of the kilometer.

Attack mode: Devour creature 18 (scr 1-5, lw 6-12, sw 13-19, fw 20+). The victim is melted by the
damage, which will become worse by one step/round.

Ego throw must be higher than the Incarnates ego in order to break free. A fatal wound means that
the creature is devoured and becomes a part of the Incarnate.

Home: Wherever corpses are buried secretly; Honduras